World’s First Airplane Made from Hemp is Set to Take Off Next Year

An Ontario-based industrial hemp supplier company called Hempearth has signed a contract with Velocity Inc. – a Florida-based plane manufacturer to build the world’s first airplane made of hemp. The plane will be constructed from at least 75% hemp.

Hemp is a member of the cannabis plant family. This tall and leafy plant is grown for the fiber and seeds. The fiber and seeds are really valuable; this is why hemp is often called a “cash crop”.

Hemp is currently used to make all sorts of products like paper, canvas, clothing, soap, oil, fuel, food, construction materials….and now planes.

Image courtesy http://www.hempearth.net/

About this eco-friendly plane:

The entire airframe, wings, seats and seating materials will be made from hemp instead of fiberglass or other materials. The plane will also run on Hemp Bio-fuel.

The plane will have a significantly lower carbon footprint than a standard plane. The natural hemp fiber colored four-seater jet; with a wingspan of 36 feet will have a price tag of approx. $500,000.

Velocity Inc. has already tested the strength and durability of woven hemp before committing to the project. They found that a plank made from woven hemp fiber was stronger than fiberglass.

If all goes as planned, the first hemp plane will take off next year from Kitty Hawk, N.C., where the world’s first successful aircraft flight took place.

Nidhi Goyal

Nidhi is a gold medalist Post Graduate in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. You can also find Nidhi on Google+.